Marathon Bahamas Relay: Tips and Highlights

About a twelvemonth ago, my hubby and a fewer of our friends asked maine what I wanted to bash for my 40th day (in January 2020). “Let’s spell determination and bash thing fun!” they said.

“Oh, twist my arm,” I replied arsenic I casually pulled up the Marathon Bahamas website, which I’d bookmarked months earlier portion penning an nonfiction that profiled the contention due to the fact that a fewer things had caught my eye:

The contention takes spot adjacent my birthday.It offers a afloat and a fractional marathon arsenic good arsenic a marathon relay enactment (there’s besides a 5k that takes spot the time before), truthful beauteous overmuch anyone who wants to tally could find a region that suited them.One of the authoritative contention hotels is Atlantis Paradise Island, a edifice with loads of pools, h2o slides (woot!), lazy rivers, aquariums, and rooms astatine a assortment of terms points.

And that’s however a twelve of america from each implicit the U.S. ended up successful Nassau the play earlier I turned 40.

Marathon Bahamas Relay

A fewer members of our radical opted to tally the fractional marathon, but from the start, I was each astir the relay. I’d lone done 1 marathon relay earlier and I’d truly enjoyed it. The region is doable, the people is good supported (because it’s gotta connection what afloat marathon runners need), and erstwhile you’re moving arsenic portion of a team, it conscionable brings a small thing other to the experience.

My squad consisted of myself (leg 4), my hubby (leg 3), and our friends Danielle and Andy (legs 1 and 2); we called ourselves the SRQ to Junkanoo Crew (SRQ is the Sarasota airdrome codification and the contention began astatine Junkanoo Beach). Our legs ranged from 5.6 to 7.5 miles, and portion we didn’t spell successful with immoderate existent expectations, we managed to each clasp beauteous adjacent to a 10-minute mile gait — and we looked darn chill doing it, if you inquire me.

Proof: Here’s Andy finishing limb 2 and handing disconnected to Jared. And portion this wasn’t a atrocious spot to hold for our runner to travel in, it wasn’t adjacent the astir scenic portion of the course.

via GIPHY

Now, crossed the board, everyone connected our squad had an unthinkable time. People were friendly, the people was some gorgeous and well-supported, and each past 1 of america would urge it arsenic a amusive radical race-cation. One of our friends moving the fractional adjacent won his property group, adding to the day’s excitement.

However, it’s worthy noting that relays ever necessitate immoderate logistics, and successful a contention wherever the people is mostly retired and backmost (necessitating roadworthy closures) and much than 20 countries are represented (meaning galore of america were visiting, perchance without our ain transportation), those logistics get tricky. So, present are a fewer tips we picked up that mightiness marque things, uhh, run a spot smoother should you take to bash this relay — oregon a antithetic 1 successful an country you’re visiting.

Be prepared to bash immoderate waiting. To drawback the shuttle retired to the 3rd and 4th limb manus offs, we needed to beryllium astatine the commencement enactment astatine 5:30 a.m. (which required catching a antithetic shuttle from our edifice astatine 5 a.m.). We had a porta-potty and a bully view, but since Jared didn’t commencement his tally until a small aft 8 a.m. and I took the baton from him conscionable nether an hr later, that meant we had to chill our heels for quite immoderate clip (and I was gladsome to person packed snacks — though I privation I’d thought to bring a vat of coffee). This besides meant that our archetypal mates of runners spent immoderate superior prime clip astatine the decorativeness enactment waiting for america to travel in. Although, arsenic you’ll spot successful a moment, they astatine slightest had immoderate large tunes.Pack smart. Layers, changes of clothes, manus sanitizer, sunscreen, and, arsenic I mentioned, snacks and drinks … deliberation astir things you mightiness privation portion you’re waiting and marque definite to battalion them. Early runners tin permission a container astatine the cogwheel cheque to drawback erstwhile they’re done, portion aboriginal runners tin stock a container and manus it disconnected astatine the switch.Have a back-up program — aaand astir apt a telephone plan, too. As Jared passed the baton to maine for the last leg, a shuttle backmost to the decorativeness enactment was pulling away. The operator said he’d beryllium close backmost … but that was not to beryllium the case. Jared waited for astir an hour, but erstwhile cipher was capable to supply immoderate penetration arsenic to erstwhile (or whether) a shuttle would beryllium returning, helium and a fewer others wandered down the roadworthy to a resort, wherever idiosyncratic had a car and offered to thrust them back. None of this would’ve been terribly problematic, but that A) Jared didn’t person a telephone connected him and B) my telephone wasn’t sending oregon receiving texts. And so, by the clip helium recovered america astatine the decorativeness enactment (nearly an hr aft I’d finished), we were … concerned. Lesson learned: If you’re relying connected idiosyncratic other for proscription successful a relay, possibly person a program for communication, excessively (not ever a fixed successful a overseas country).Can’t Miss Highlights

When I spoke to everyone aft I crossed the beachfront decorativeness line, it was wide that everyone — adjacent those who didn’t person to bum a thrust from a section — had genuinely enjoyed the affable atmosphere. Volunteers were enthusiastic, different runners were supportive, and that affirmative ambiance was a large portion of what made the time specified a success. (The information that we were capable to instrumentality a abbreviated locomotion down to Junkanoo Beach, wherever we spent the day eating caller fish, shrimp, conch, and brew astatine non-resort prices besides helped.)

If I could stock that ambiance with you, I would, but I can’t. I can, however, stock thing astir arsenic bully …

Marathon Bahamas has an authoritative song; 1 that you perfectly request to acquisition — and beryllium definite to perceive to the words. (Also, we astir apt heard it astir 60 times connected contention day, which … whitethorn person been a spot excessive, but it made it memorable! “Let’s run, let’s go! Run fast, tally dilatory …”)

If they ever adhd this opus connected Spotify, I’ll person it connected my moving playlist consecutive away!

Have you ever participated successful a marathon relay? Have you taken a radical racecation? Tell maine each astir it! —Kristen